1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for aiming a space probe toward a celestial body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Space probes for observing the Solar System travel in orbits which lie substantially in the plane of the ecliptic in which the various planets are located. It is important to aim one predetermined face of these probes toward a celestial body, which in particular may be the Sun or the Earth, if this face carries solar cells or a fixed antenna. Probes that are stabilized on three axes, that is, that do not themselves rotate, undergo an orientational drift because of displacements of the probe and of the celestial body in their orbits, which one attempts to correct by a rotation about the axis perpendicular to the plane of their orbits.
Heretofore, only motive devices such as gas jets, which operate discontinuously and which quickly carry out point-shaped corrections of orientation, have been used. Sensors for the position of the relevant celestial body indicate when the aim is once again perfect. Such devices have the disadvantage of having to be utilized relatively frequently and of requiring a power consumption which is not negligible.